Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,217 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,217

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Best and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Best and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,217 per month in Best vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Best $2,217
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,095 per month in Best vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Best $3,095
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,973 per month in Best vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Best $3,973
Nosara $3,712

Best costs about 21% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Best and Nosara sit above the global median – Best by 65%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.31 €19.91

$12.22 ₡5,509

82.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 €77.2

$60.2 ₡27.1K

43.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.94

$7.54 ₡3,399

62.47%

Cappuccino

$3.65 €3.26

$4.31 ₡1,941

-15.31%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.91

$1.72 ₡773

89.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.35 ₡608

83.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 €5.15

$3.24 ₡1,459

78.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 €4.37

$4.48 ₡2,018

9.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.57 ₡707

-28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$3.17 ₡1,429

-40.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.42 ₡1,091

-8.26%

Eggs

$3.12 €2.79

$3.57 ₡1,609

-12.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 €10.07

$7.43 ₡3,349

51.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 €10.26

$10.42 ₡4,697

10.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.24

$13.66 ₡6,156

8.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.32 ₡1,044

-13.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.61 ₡728

-0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$4.74 ₡2,138

-63.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 €4.41

$1.66 ₡747

198.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$3.72 ₡1,679

-68.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$3.57 ₡1,611

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.10 ₡497

0.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$2.55 ₡1,149

-72.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.21 €10.01

$4.95 ₡2,232

126.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.95

$20.01 ₡9,020

-72.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.79 ₡1,256

-45.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$3.53 ₡1,589

-29.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 €2.22

$1.19 ₡537

108.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 €63.3

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-1.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 €3.52

$2.24 ₡1,011

75.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.57

$1.55 ₡701

86.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 €26.52

$8.86 ₡3,993

235.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.57 ₡708

49.68%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$25.6K €22.9K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

17.61%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.0K €30.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-1.89%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$185 €165

$93.5 ₡42.1K

98.06%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.56 €12.99

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-58.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.61 €33.56

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-26.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 €35.98

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-43.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 €22.60

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-28.53%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 €12.47

$7.84 ₡3,535

78.19%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,298 €1,158

$490 ₡220.7K

165.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,115 €4,564

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-56.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 €46.13

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-3.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.89 €29.35

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-41.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 €66.5

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-6.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 €51.7

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-26.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,378

$786 ₡354.3K

96.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €982

$780 ₡351.6K

41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,763

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-48.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 €1,206

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-3.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,221 €4,659

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-25.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,354 €3,886

$1,201 ₡541.3K

262.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,077 €3,639

$876 ₡395.0K

365.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

8.62

-58.93%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Best: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Best

$1.1K 49.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 29.1% $320

Eating Out

Best

$321 14.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 34.7% $111

Groceries & Markets

Best

$281 12.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 24.3% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$237 10.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 24.1% $57

Getting Around

Best

$99 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 12.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$98 4.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 23.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 27.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,544 in Best versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 365% higher in Best, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Best versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $281 in Best vs $350 in Nosara – so Best wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

05:01 5:01 AM

8 h behind Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Best Nosara 9,210 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Best
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Best vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Best is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,325 per month in Best and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,217 in Best and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 2% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Best at $2,217. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Best it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Best makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.